How Ugmonk grew from a side hobby into a profitable business 

What if you could share your unique gifts with the world?

What if you could create gorgeous, life-changing products for your obsessive customers...who buy from you at the drop of a hat?

What if you could make money doing what you love — on your own terms, without having to answer to any bosses or clients who ask, "Can you create a version with a little more red and just a tiny bit less blue?"

![Ugmonk's Jeff Sheldon Sketching & Designing](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a4654883264db65c9e1de2263cda86aa8825982a)
*Jeff, the founder of the highly-respected apparel brand Ugmonk, designing on his own terms.*

Maybe some of you have already started down this path.

For example, you might have a side business creating art and selling it on Etsy. Or, you might have a small tent at at your local artisan fair selling hand-crafted organic candles.

Or, maybe some of you are still dreaming about getting your passion off the ground. You know you have creative gifts to share with the world, you just haven’t had the time to get it going yet.

Either way, whether you’ve already started a small business or you’re still in the idea stage, the goal is usually the same: eventually evolve and grow your side hobby into a full-time business.

But, __while we dream about the day we can write our own check, it’s easy to get stuck__. You might be asking questions like...

What are the actual, no-B.S. ways to get a business started?

Where do I find customers?

How do I grow a business idea into a brand people love, represent, and obsess over?

The good news is, today we’re going to introduce you to someone who grew his side hobby into an exploding business. __A business where he gets to share his passions with the world, on his own terms, and exactly the way he wants to do it.__

Meet Jeff Sheldon, the founder of the acclaimed, gorgeous, and evolving brand [Ugmonk](http://ugmonk.com/).

## The beginnings
> Design is something that's always been in me. As a child, I'd sit there and draw for hours with my pencils and crayons."

Growing up, Jeff couldn’t stop scribbling and designing on pieces of scrap paper.

Everywhere he went, he brought pieces of paper so he could draw for hours. Shapes, words, people. It didn’t matter. Jeff was obsessed with creating beautiful designs, and refining until it was perfect.

Creating and refining beautiful designs stuck with Jeff as he got older too. When Jeff graduated college in 2008, he moved to northern Vermont to start a design job at a small marketing agency.

But when Jeff jumped to the professional world in 2008, he was unimpressed with the designs he saw. He wondered why the art and so-called “creative work” he noticed was so bland.

“I wanted to know __why it was so tough to find fresh, high-quality, unique items in a modern aesthetic__. I felt like the design culture at the time was really lacking in this area,” Jeff told us.

Coming home from his job every day, he put his design skills to work on the side. He’d sit down with a pencil and paper, brainstorming ideas until the early hours of the morning.

Every night, Jeff spent hours drawing, refining, and evolving his ideas.

After a few months, he launched a group of his favorite designs on a small batch of t-shirts under a new brand he called "Ugmonk." The designs were based on his love for typography and minimal design shapes.

![Early Ugmonk Designs](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/180fddffdcfea241ba9360c304077cc690b4ac32)
*Early Ugmonk t-shirt designs*

In August of 2008, three months after graduating and spending hours every night perfecting his designs, Jeff put four different t-shirt designs, on 200 t-shirts in total, up for sale.

After sharing on social media and sending to a few friends, Jeff’s designs were posted on a few smaller design blogs. And he sold out of his first batch of orders.

## Staying patient

> Through the first two years, I continued building Ugmonk by working late nights and weekends. I wanted to be extra-careful with my growth."

Sold out of his first batch, Jeff could have reacted by quitting his full-time job and throwing everything into the Ugmonk brand.

But he didn’t.

Knee-jerk reactions and rushing around without stopping to think was counter to what Jeff believed.

__He wanted to grow Ugmonk slowly. Methodically. With a careful eye.__ He wanted to let it evolve naturally, and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect — even if it meant intentionally slowing down the opportunity to grow.

"Ugmonk was born of __a desire to create products and designs that I personally liked__. It’s not designing for the trends, not trying to please the masses," Jeff says.

So every night, Jeff kept working in his studio. Away from the chaos and pressure, he created.

And revised.

And revised again.

In 2009, a year after Ugmonk started, Jeff hit the jackpot. He launched an insanely popular t-shirt called [And Then I Woke Up](http://shop.ugmonk.com/products/and-then-i-woke-up). It continues to be one of Ugmonk's best sellers today.

![And Then I Woke Up Tee by Ugmonk](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8187b6e03206b2832d27be331d580b10c664b3b3)
*Jeff’s And Then I Woke Up t-shirt design. Beautiful and sold like crazy.*

"When I launched the *And Then I Woke Up* shirt, I knew Ugmonk was here to stay. It got picked up on all design blogs and got a lot of positive feedback which fueled me to keep going," remembers Jeff.

The success of *And Then I Woke Up* is another chance Jeff could have taken to quit his job. But he didn’t. He still didn’t want to feel rushed with his Ugmonk brand.

Jeff put in another year building out Ugmonk on the side. He worked more late nights and weekends to refine designs, organize logistics, and pack orders by hand.

And with each new design, word-of-mouth spread like crazy and the t-shirts would sell out.

Finally, almost two years after starting the brand (and with momentum continuing to build), Jeff decided it was time to make the full-time move. He left his job so he could take Ugmonk to the next level.

## Going full-time
> I wanted to focus all my energy on creating amazing designs at Ugmonk. I decided I had to fully focus there so I could do that."

With attention now fully on Ugmonk, Jeff could expand and grow his ideas for the brand.

But in order to keep Ugmonk growing and fund his new plans, Jeff had to make sure the business was generating revenue. In other words, Jeff had to find brand "staples" he could rely on for steady income.

This flies in the face of conventional wisdom in the apparel industry. Typically, apparel companies only sell products for a year. After the year is finished, they discontinue the old designs no matter how well they’re selling.

Once again, Jeff decided to take the unconventional route.

Instead of discontinuing designs after a year, he decided to keep his most popular designs indefinitely (like *And Then I Woke Up*). Jeff wanted to give people who discovered his brand the chance to buy a design he poured his heart and soul into. 

Jeff says, "These designs are as fresh and exciting to someone seeing it for the first time as they were to me six years ago."

This gave Jeff the chance grow his business from stable income on proven designs while he focused on creating new designs that were riskier bets.

![Custom Stickers for Ugmonk by Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f26fb8ea0561553ff912c00bc5a6624c785503c1)
*[Custom rectangle stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/rectangle-stickers) by Sticker Mule*

## One-off products and special collaborations
> I don't mind asking for help. Outside of design, I never consider myself an expert who knows everything."

As Ugmonk gained more attention, the t-shirts sales were increasing. Jeff could have stopped and created t-shirts with the same designs for the rest of his life, resulting in a good living.

__But it was never just about t-shirts. And it was definitely not just about the money.__

Jeff knew he had to evolve the Ugmonk brand as his own interests evolved. "Ever since the beginning, Ugmonk has really been about my passion for design," Jeff says.

He started looking for the chance to create gorgeous one-off products — and collaborate with other experts.

"These projects apply my design sense to a new product and industry, and they [the collaborative partners] bring their own expertise."

A recent collaboration was inspired by Jeff’s love of specialty coffee. Specifically, a small local family roaster in Lancaster, Pennsylvania called [Square One Coffee](http://www.squareonecoffee.com/).

![Designer Coffee by One Square & Ugmonk](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/51818e7458b56ccdd9af2c90318342f3828fba9a)
*The Ugmonk x Square One Coffee collaboration.*

“Square One is one of my favorite coffee roasters. It felt like the perfect fit,” Jeff said.

The result is a [premium Ugmonk x Square One Coffee product](https://ugmonk.com/blogs/journal/ugmonk-x-square-one-coffee), including a limited number of hand-crafted leather Chemex collars. Unlike the t-shirts which have been around for years, once the Ugmonk x Square One coffee products are sold out they’ll be gone for good.

At the end of the day, there's no secret game plan for Jeff to get into the coffee industry. It's a way for him to have fun and combine his expertise with another expert in their respective field.

"I'm not interested in making coffee as a part of my business going forward. It was a fun collaboration that had incredible results. People loved the coffee and the design. For me, that’s success," Jeff explains.

And sometimes, Jeff creates one-off products on his own. "Not every product that I design is available indefinitely, but __I love exploring new product categories and experimenting with different types of products__ all based around the same minimalist design aesthetic."

For example, to celebrate the 8th birthday of the Ugmonk brand this year, Jeff [created a special 8th anniversary set for his followers](https://ugmonk.com/blogs/journal/8-years-of-ugmonk).

The anniversary collection includes...

* Special 8th anniversary tee made from tri-blend fabric (making it the softest Ugmonk shirt ever)
* Metal coaster laser cut from 3/16” raw steel and sealed with a matte lacquer
* Custom-designed slide-out box Jeff created from scratch to hold the tee and metal coaster in ultra-premium packaging
* Numbered letterpress card, each with a unique numbering from 1 to 200

Like the limited edition coffee products, once the 8th anniversary set is sold out it's not coming back. Jeff launched with two hundred 8th anniversary sets priced at $75 each...and within 24 hours he only had 50 left.

Combined, the limited edition coffee products and the 8th anniversary set have made five figures for the Ugmonk brand. Plus, more importantly, they’ve let Jeff express his artistic vision and grow Ugmonk in new and exciting ways.

## Quality is never sacrificed
> Quality is more important than quantity. I'm focused on refining designs and making something I’m proud of."

__Jeff refuses to let "average" happen with Ugmonk.__

Everything about the Ugmonk brand is premium, "It’s worth paying a little extra for way nicer quality. I make sure everything, from the labels to the packaging, is the way I envisioned it and the quality people deserve and anticipate.”

In a recent blog post, we were honored when Jeff mentioned he used Sticker Mule for his [premium label packaging](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on his coffee. "Sticker Mule is really well priced, and the quality is premium," Jeff wrote.

We asked him to explain more: “I knew when I was creating labeling and packaging for anything, I had to use Sticker Mule. I didn’t even give it a second thought.”

Jeff’s obsession over quality can be seen across the other Ugmonk products too.

Coffee products made with premium leather? Check.

Tees made with an ultra-soft hybrid of cotton, polyester, and rayon? Check.

Laser-engraved coasters crafted from special bamboo wood? Check.

When it comes to quality, Jeff doesn’t make any sacrifices with the Ugmonk brand.

Never satisfied, Jeff made some recent critical changes to the brand in 2016 to make the quality even better.

Eight years after the Ugmonk brand originally launched, Jeff introduced the biggest change in Ugmonk history "over a year in the making." The end result was a total rebranding Jeff calls "Ugmonk 2.0."

![Ugmonks-Rebrand](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e1082541ce929411b0a8fa00596640507184c96b)
*The new vs. old Ugmonk logo*

At a glance, Ugmonk 2.0 might like just a new logo and a prettier website. But there’s a lot under the hood. The redesign goes much deeper than a simple logo change.

To carefully evolve into the next phase of Ugmonk, Jeff crafted a creative brief, tweaked hundreds of logo concepts, designed a secondary logo, and even produced new custom packaging.

There were no stones left unturned. Jeff re-imagined Ugmonk from the bottom up to make sure version 2.0 matched his vision and how the brand has evolved over the past eight years. In the process, he set up the brand for success years down the line.

So with upwards growth, a new design, and freedom to create whatever he wants, what’s next for Jeff and the refreshed Ugmonk brand?

"I don’t know honestly," Jeff tells us bluntly. "I have a few ideas, and that’s to keep things going down the same path because it’s working at a scale and at a pace that allows me to do it. Of course, remaining small and on-purpose is huge too. And I'm always thinking about new product categories."

As Jeff carefully plans the next steps for Ugmonk, transparency with his fans and followers is critical. To show a full view behind the curtain, Jeff shares his insights, step-by-step artistic process, and other behind-the-scenes details in the [Ugmonk Journal](http://ugmonk.com/blog/).

Whatever Jeff decides is next for Ugmonk, it’ll be beautiful, created with the best quality in mind — and uniquely Jeff.

[Follow Jeff and the Ugmonk brand](http://ugmonk.com/) as it evolves.

Plus, while you’re starting your own side hobby, you can use the same [premium labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) and [stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) Jeff obsesses about and uses.

And to help you understand how to evolve your own side hobby into a full-time business, we partnered with Ugmonk to create two unique challenges to get your side hobby growing into a flourishing, full-time business.

## Your Ugmonk & Sticker Mule Challenge

### Collaboration challenge

"I love the power of collaborations and one-off projects. I think it can benefit both designers and artists wanting to start a side hobby, and those of us who are a little further down the road."

One-off and collaboration projects help get your foot in the door with new contacts who can help cross-promote your business, and they create a sense of urgency so your customers and fans will act quickly. And, my favorite part is collaborations and one-offs give me the chance to experiment and try something totally new.”

How can you grow your side hobby with a one-off, limited edition product or service? Or, who can you reach out to about a potential collaboration?

__Action Steps:__

1. Brainstorm 3-5 potential businesses or people you can collaborate with
2. Reach out to the expert or business you want to collaborate with (if you need inspiration, check out this blog post called [How to get the attention of your favorite expert](http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-get-the-attention-of-your-favorite-expert-new-detailed-post/) which includes word-for-word email scripts).

![Ugmonk and Square One's Coffee Collaboration](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/39b59aede863c36dae5d6b8764e0adfbfe6f196f)

### Premium experience challenge

At Sticker Mule we love to surprise and delight customers with experiences that delight and surprise. That’s why we provide free artwork help, customized packaging, expedited shipping and we even include special thank you cards signed by our team members. Similarly, Ugmonk used ultra-soft tri-blend tees for the 8th anniversary set, instead of standard cotton like others would have. 

These "little things" add up and they can separate you and your products or services from all the noise and competition in your industry.

Similar to Jeff using [Sticker Mule’s rectangle labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/rectangle-roll-labels) for his labeling to showcase the quality of his brand, how can you separate yourself from your competition or other businesses out there with a “small” increase in quality?

__Action Steps:__

1. Spend 15 minutes writing down the different cogs in your business from messaging, packaging, shipping, and unboxing.
2. Identify 2-3 areas you can improve the quality and give your customers a premium experience.
3. Price out what the 2-3 premium experiences will cost, and pick 1 premium experience based on the cost and the potential positive impact for your business or idea. (For example, a label or [die cut sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers "die cut sticker") used to seal a box is a cost effective way to improve your customer’s experience and spread your branding.

There are countless ways to create premium experiences and grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

8 years ago Jeff Sheldon started Ugmonk on the side. Today, Jeff runs a highly successful business that features brilliant designs and bespoke collaborations. 

How Lauren James used stickers to help build their business 

__*Bzzzzzzzt...*__

That's the sound of another text message hitting your customer’s phone.

Go ahead and add it to the tally. Every day, your customers:

- Send and receive 67 text messages
- Get bombarded with 122 emails
- Exchange dozens of Snapchats with friends
- Tune out most of the 3,000 different product advertisements they see (like yours)

In other words, your customers are overloaded with options and the digital market is crowded.

This is especially true for ecommerce companies, which make up about 12% of the Internet and where competition is brutal. The Internet graveyard is littered with failed ecommerce companies like One Kings Lane, which was valued at $920 million in 2014...but sold for $30 million this year.

For ecommerce brands, failure comes at an especially massive cost.

So with so many other ecommerce businesses out there, __how do you gain traction and separate from the pack?__

__How do you create loyal customers who keep coming back__ — and excitedly tell everyone they know about your brand?

__How do you grab the attention of new customers__ who will spend hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands on your brand over their lifetime?

Today, we're going to show you the secrets. __You'll learn:__

1. How to separate your brand in the crowded ecommerce market
2. How to retain your current customers with ease
3. How to get new customers at a fraction of the cost

We’ll introduce you to an ecommerce clothing company that created a thriving brand, grew to 8-figures in only three years, and hacked their way to success using unconventional — and effective — marketing tactics.

And the best part is, you can implement their strategies starting today.

## Joining the crowded ecommerce space

Meet [Lauren James](https://www.laurenjames.com/), an ecommerce clothing company with thousands of deeply loyal customers spending thousands on their brand.

Lauren James was founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Lauren and Lance Stokes.

Inspired by the blend of southern classics and modern clothing for women, Lauren fell in love with fashion and wanted to share her inspiration with the world.

![Lauren James Lifestyle Brand for Women Southern Inspired Designed Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eca2a4f996d0625236a93855010d50b465058a08)

Starting out, Lauren and Lance decided to focus on fashion for women ages 18-35. After designing a small batch of clothing, they launched a small private label line as a market test — and sold out.

With the business idea validated, Lauren and Lance knew they had a product market fit.

Next, they wanted to grow the company.

With the private label line, they successfully got their business in front of a couple hundred customers...but how could they reach thousands? Or even millions?

With so many “traditional” marketing methods overused and ineffective, they knew they had to go an unconventional route to effectively (and inexpensively) attract potential customers.

In other words, Lauren James needed to:

1. Separate their customer experience from the millions of other ecommerce websites
2. Attract new customers at a fraction of the cost
3. Keep current customers coming back and avoid churn

Embracing a nontraditional growth hacking mindset, Lance took the first step: create unique, breathtaking designs for their sweet "tees" collection. Today, they have more than 500 designs that customers love.

"We try to maximize the artwork and original content," Lance says. "A ton of time is spent on artwork for tees."

With their new beautiful designs now on tees, they needed a way to get them in front of a large audience.

__And, most importantly, they needed a way to generate word-of-mouth marketing buzz (and ROI).__

![Lauren James Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/24c0a2238ecbeef08c4edc62d638673e2d46e27e)

## The surprising way Lauren James generated tons of revenue and increased customer loyalty

Lauren James decided to try a fast, easy marketing test: custom stickers.

With every order Lauren James shipped, they also sent the customer a free beautifully designed [die cut sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers).

![Life is Better in LJ Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/82971ed7a72cccc077e5891e6236c76a0c244d10)

At the start, they knew most new customers were only wearing Lauren James clothes and repping the brand once or twice a week  — not every day.

But stickers can go anywhere. Customers can put them on...

- [Car windows/bumpers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers)
- [Phones](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/phone-stickers)
- [Laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers)
- [Notebooks](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/scrapbook-stickers)
- [Water bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers)

And dozens of other places people see... Every. Single. Day.

To market their ecommerce brand, Lauren James didn't use expensive SEM management. They didn't use a PR firm. They didn't use consultants creating expensive marketing videos.

Just a few stickers placed in every order.

This simple addition to each order cut through the noise and secured customer loyalty.

> Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

It was crazy inexpensive word-of-mouth marketing for the creative startup, and it helped them hack their way to growth and success.

It wasn't just vague "brand awareness" either. 

__The results were in the numbers — word-of-mouth took off, organic search tripled and sales increased.__

For only about $0.10 per sticker, Lauren James was surprising and delighting customers (and seeing a direct effect on its bottom line).

![Lauren James Die Cut Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f9e6e82f69e23d151a63b8ef5014f22c41f110d4 "Lauren James custom die cut stickers")

Today, if you go to YouTube you’ll see more than 7,000 unboxing videos for Lauren James. These videos cost the company absolutely nothing.

Lauren James’ rabid fans are ecstatic to open their Lauren James package, show the world what they got, and proudly place their stickers anywhere they can.

"Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that," Lance said.

Today, stickers are an integral part of Lauren James. And, they provide a massive ROI.

![Lauren James Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6929612f4c52742ec675be49ba36ae326d90392e "Lauren James box")

## Lauren James used stickers to:

### 1. Launch a blog 

"When we were launching our blog, [Styled Sweet](http://www.styledsweet.com/), we sent out special Styled Sweet stickers with every order. It drove traffic to the new blog which in turn increased social sharing," Lance says.

### 2. Create a gigantic newsletter list with ready-to-buy customers

"If you sign-up for our newsletter, we'll send you a sticker," Lance says. "We capture emails, shipping addresses, and generate future customers just for the price of a sticker. It's also a great way to create a positive first connection with soon-to-be fans."

### 3. Generate sales 

Lauren James saw such incredible results with giving away stickers that they started selling them. Today, they have over [100 different stickers their customers love](https://www.laurenjames.com/collections/all/stickers). 

![Lauren James State Stickers - Die Cut by Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/045249af8f6cc6438ea18428cdd24071786d9574)

Customers often share their love for the stickers on social media or on YouTube in unboxing videos, for example a customer recently said, "The stickers are such nice quality, I'm so excited to stick this on my car" in an unboxing video.

Today, the team has grown to over 115 employees and three retail stores with more on the horizon  —  business is booming for Lauren James.

So what’s next?

Lance told us, "More sticker promotions!"

> Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!"

## 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to become a 8-figure business

To grow your own ecommerce business, here are 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to grow to a multi-million dollar company with 115 employees. You can start implementing these today.

### Strategy #1: Use newsletter opt-ins — with a twist

Lauren James, like most websites, tries to get users to opt into a newsletter. From the business side, a newsletter lets Lauren James nurture prospects and turn them into paying, happy customers...who come back again and tell their friends.

But, growing a newsletter in such a crowded market is easier said than done.

To combat the noise, they offer an incentive: a free sticker.

"Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!" Lance says.

And it’s worked — with opt-in rates far above the industry average Lauren James sends out thousands of free stickers to future customers every month.

To get start this for your own business, create an simple email opt-in page asking for a prospect’s name, email address, and mailing address. Use Wufoo, SumoMe, or any other tool that allows you to collect their email address and information.

Then, you can put the email address in a lead nurturing campaign and increase your chances to sell to the prospect by 2x or more. If you already have a large email list or email your customers regularly, try creating an "Insiders' List" and use stickers an incentive. Use this list to grow referrals, offer special deals for promoting your company online, and more. 

![Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1291369f5cd509f323d73c748ccda8123243a96a "Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James")

### Strategy #2: Make an amazing unboxing experience

On YouTube alone, there are 7,000+ Lauren James unboxing videos. These videos are posted by excited fans of the brand and they don't cost the company a dime.

Best of all, they sell Lauren James’ products without Lauren James having to do anything.

To make the unboxing process special and create viral marketing, Lauren James gives beautiful stickers away for free with every purchase.

In your own business, think of one quick change you can make for your unboxing to be better.

When your unboxing is better, your customers will want to share with their friends and the world (and they’ll also want to come back and purchase).

![Lauren James Packaging and Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8c82391bc29e399034db3eec761cac24808a32cf "Lauren James Packaging and Box")

### Strategy #3: Create a viral sales loop so your customers sell for you

Lauren James started putting stickers in every package they mailed. Their customers put stickers everywhere — on laptops, notebooks, cars, and anywhere else.

The key lesson here is make it easy to share: it’s common for loyal Lauren James customers to give their stickers in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th orders to friends who will then visit the website (and maybe purchase).

Instead of wasting time on marketing and advertising, Lauren James puts a sticker in each order — which only costs about $0.10 extra. How's that for effective bootstrapped marketing?

[Stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and other items like [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) or [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) are an inexpensive and effective way to build a viral sharing loop so your customers sell for you.

### Strategy #4: Pour gasoline on the word-of-mouth marketing fire

Lauren James creates a viral marketing loop for their stickers, which can cost 60-75x less than traditional marketing methods.

And after seeing the success of free stickers, they realized they could sell stickers too.

Today, Lauren James sells dozens of different eye-catching stickers. This gives them extra revenue, creates free brand ambassadors, more word-of-mouth marketing, and makes their customers extra happy.

If something is working for your business, do more of it. Offer upsells or variations for customers to buy. It’s not necessary to always reinvent the wheel.

![Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/0f9933128683dbd2ce35819eb6966d9414485d5d "Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James")

### Strategy #5: Use original designs to blow customers away (and increase ROI)

Lauren James became successful partly because of their unique designs for clothing, packaging, and their brand.

For example, most clothing companies send clothes in a boring brown box.

But not Lauren James. They send their clothing in a gorgeous pink box or mailer with stunning typography and hand-crafted care.

The same opportunity is available for every company to improve upon mundane ways most ecommerce companies do business. How can you surprise and delight your customers?

---------------







Looking back, Lauren James could have gone the traditional route to market their brand. A few thousand dollars on Facebook Ads here, a full-page advertisement in Elle magazine there...but where would they be now?

The truth is, if you follow the same traditional marketing methods in the oversaturated ecommerce market you’re going to get the same traditional results. Now more than ever, it’s critical to follow nontraditional ways to market your brand.

For inspiration, check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

How a women's lifestyle brand and ecommerce clothing company created a thriving business in only three years. 

How this hummus startup used stickers to grow 

![Black Market Hummus stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/be8bc47dbbb7be3cbd6cd2789225295b84fc8e06)

Today, we want to introduce you to Nabil Fahel — the man whetting the appetite of the tech elite.

Nabil is the mastermind behind Black Market Hummus, the hottest secret food devoured by the technology world in Canada. Here's what some of the world's greatest tech leaders have to say about his hummus:

   *"Honestly the best hummus I have ever had." -Joanne Wilson, CEO, Gotham Gal Ventures*

   *"As expected, hummus is out of this world good!" -Alex Iskold, Managing Director, Techstars*

   *"Holy smokes this hummus is scary good!" -Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify*

Did you ever think an underground hummus business would have such ferocious supporters?

Every month, he and his team deliver small, hand-made batches of hummus to employees at Google, Shopify, Electronic Arts, Open Text, and other  of other multi-billion dollar tech companies in Waterloo, Ontario.

Best of all, he started his business for under $1,000 (and was profitable in the first month).

![Black Market Hummus Preparing for Shipment](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9614a75e918933ddc873b9de56ecf2d7ebf0b551)

## Word-of-mouth marketing

Nabil never planned to start a hummus business. Instead, [Black Market Hummus](https://blackmarkethummus.ca) started from Nabil bringing his mom's hummus everywhere. When he shared with friends at poker tournaments and tech community gatherings, they'd salivate  — and DEMAND he bring more the next time.

__No paid marketing spend, no SEO, no print advertising budgets...just total word-of-mouth.__

Seeing the potential for more after sharing with friends, it wasn't long until Nabil was secretly trekking unmarked plastic containers of his homemade hummus across international borders to share at a conference. He would give it to everyone...and it worked.

> How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

As the word-of-mouth snowball continued rolling, even diplomats wanted in — one day, a Canadian diplomat got Nabil's phone number and reached out asking for hummus.

Nabil's response, "If you can meet me in 10 minutes, I'll bring you a container of hummus."

The Canadian diplomat didn't even bat an eye.

The Mayor, diplomats, poker friends, conference goers...Nabil couldn't fill orders fast enough, so he thought about how to expand on a shoestring budget. In Nabil's words, "How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

At this point, Nabil didn't even have a name for the business. But after talking with a friend, the name was clear.

"We should name it Black Market Hummus," his friend Tony said. "Street-side deals... international trafficking... it just makes sense."

![Custom-Food-Labels-StickerMule-BlackMarketHummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dabb582f1647222be78cb72249592d4d032c77d0)

## Branding Black Market Hummus

Around this time, Nabil also joined [Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/) to help lead their enterprise partnerships program. As part of their employee onboarding, Nabil was required to create and build a "test" Shopify store. He decided to create one for Black Market Hummus.

With a business name, a website created, and a [free Mailchimp account](https://mailchimp.com/resources/create-your-brand/), Nabil decided to ship only to commercial addresses once a month to save on shipping costs, keep the hummus exclusive, and to make it easy for his customers to spread the word...and the hummus.

> I knew it had to be Sticker Mule."

To brand his hummus and label his containers, [he picked Sticker Mule's die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and soon after that, Black Market Hummus was officially born.

He mocked up a quick design and worked with our expert artists, for free, to revise it to perfection and make it production ready. As Nabil said, "I didn’t even shop around. I knew it had to be Sticker Mule." 

Using [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) was a turning point for Nabil. Using the stickers as labels made his hummus recognizable from across the room — and the name sparked curiosity too.

With beautiful labels now on his hummus, he started to legitimize the brand, increase word-of-mouth sales, and go from "that guy who brings amazing hummus to parties" to "CEO of an exploding hummus business."

Best of all, a pack of 200 die cut stickers cost him 3-5x less than a typical ad spend. He was able to quickly create a brand people would recognize and excitedly share with their social circles.

With his idea validated through the demand of friends, colleagues, and even Canadian diplomats — and now a brand and beautiful design to back it up — Nabil sent a single email to customers who bought his hummus in the past. He announced he was doing a large batch order and was curious who wanted to buy hummus.

__That one email resulted in $1,600 in sales.__

Already, in his very first month of "official" sales, Nabil was profitable.

Today, Nabil's business is still exploding with growth following the same strategy: using Sticker Mule [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on all of his hummus containers, freshly made hummus shipped once a month, and delivery strictly to commercial addresses.

"Reaction from the local community has been incredible," Nabil says.

![Worlds-Best-Hummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2ef6b9712f7192853d5ffa7a9a7002b7e22db7cc)

## How to build a brand people love 

Here are the 3 lessons from Nabil about he grew Black Market Hummus for less than $1,000 into a brand people love:

### 1. Validate 
Validate your idea through friends to make sure there's demand first — and then slowly expand to other social groups, friends-of-friends, and acquaintances to keep validating. Free is okay at the start, but to truly validate you need paying customers — even if they are friends.

### 2. The power of scarcity 
Think of creative ways you can generate demand and scarcity mentality in your customers. For example, Nabil only ships once a month to commercial addresses. This encourages people to place larger orders and share with friends so they don't miss their "window of opportunity." At the start of the business, his website was locked with a password to limit demand and feed the brand’s exclusive "black market" status.

### 3. Get eyes on your brand
On a shoestring budget, get creative with marketing. Nabil used die cut stickers to create brand recognition and save 3-5x on his marketing costs. His customers were eating the hummus at work and at parties so the hummus was already visible — adding branding sealed the deal.

![Black Market Hummus delivered](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5648388f0b0a5bdcff62eabf6e254f5003a9be79)

Visit [Nabil and Black Market Hummus here](https://blackmarkethummus.ca/).

Then order the same stickers Nabil used to grow his brand on a shoestring budget [using your own logo here](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/business-logo-stickers). 

With your stickers you’ll get free online proofs, unlimited design revisions and custom stickers and labels that are weather resistant, waterproof and can be run through the dishwasher.

To get you started, we'll [take $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

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Black Market Hummus is the first HaaS (Hummus as a Service) business and has created a successful brand for less than $1,000. 

How to create a new hire kit your team members will love 

For most new hires, Day 1 in a *new* office at a *new* company with *new* coworkers is exhausting. 

From HR paperwork to meeting 20 people in 20 minutes, it's overwhelming for someone to change companies — and that's before the work even starts.

Creating an attractive company culture and welcoming new hires to your team doesn't mean you have to offer free massages, unlimited vacation, and an in-office movie theater.

Instead, we want to show you __how to make onboarding your new hires fun, easy, and inexpensive__.

Below, we're going to introduce you to a startup who hacked the onboarding process and developed an effective (and unique) way to welcome new team members aboard.

Meet [Boxed](https://www.boxed.com/), an online retailer with 117 employees and a seriously fun and effective onboarding process.

![How to create a new hire kit](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/92e601f58aba6a5e5a6e2164d0ed161e346ac0d8 "New hire kits from Boxed, with custom stickers")

Boxed was founded in 2013 by an experienced group of tech pioneers with a simple idea to make bulk shopping easy, convenient, and fun.

When Boxed brings a new hire into the company, they want them to feel passion for the organization and the brand. So when Boxed started their new hire checklist, they made sure all the basics were set.

__Laptop configured?__ *Check.*

__Day one meet-and-greet with the team?__ *Check again.*

__Rundown of the business process and workflow?__ *Check and check.*

Boxed had all the "normal" checkboxes filled...but they wondered if they were really setting their new team members up to succeed and love the Boxed mission.

It was around this time they came up with an idea to add an exciting new step to their onboarding process.

## The Boxed new hire kit

![The Boxed new hire kit](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/894fbb6cc6abf62113d97ac1182e5efd4a08bd36 "Boxed new hire kits")

They wanted to give each new employee something special to show they were part of the team. The first question was, What goes into the kit?

Then, a lightbulb went on.

Earlier this year, Boxed used [Sticker Mule’s die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) for a conference. Grace, a Recruiter at Boxed, was obsessed, "I liked them so much I said 'gimme more stickers.'"

Stickers were the perfect place to start the new hire kit — simple, cost-effective, and beautiful.

Catherine, a Business Analyst at Boxed, agrees, "The first question is cost, and stickers are the best option."

Immediately, the Boxed team decided stickers would be the heart of the Boxed New Hire Kit. Without hesitation, they jumped on [250 roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels), [200 die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers), and [200 clear stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/clear-stickers) for their new hire kits.

> The kit has helped Boxed create a friendly, welcoming culture where new hires feel comfortable to do their best work."

Happy with the stickers, they moved to the next steps of the kit. What else would new employees at Boxed need to feel welcomed and succeed from day one?

The team settled on 6 other "must-haves" for new hires to start on the right foot:

1. Welcome letter signed by the team
2. Branded water bottle
3. Pens
4. Customized notebook
5. Small case of Post-Its, rubber-bands, and paperclips
6. "Love that bulk" T-shirt 

They carefully placed all six items ([plus some extra stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers)) in a custom box, and then sealed the box with a [circle label](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels).

![How to create a new hire kit](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/73912ea93cb06b4d52881b1d54feb1d1347bd5c3 "What to place in an onboarding kit")

Every new employee receives a kit — even summer interns!

Best of all, it has helped Boxed create a friendly, welcoming culture where new hires feel comfortable to do their best work.

When you walk into the Boxed office, you’ll see stickers on phones, laptops, and anywhere else the team can show their passion.

As one new team member said: "Getting company swag is really welcoming. It should be a requirement for startups. When I wear branded shirts, have stickers on my phone and laptop, I feel like I’m representing the company."

Grace agrees, "The reactions from our new hires are always positive. The interns particularly were surprised when they walked into a room with gifts prepared for them."

__No more overwhelming first days. No more exhaustion. No more confusion, frustration, or doubt for a new hire when they join a new company__.

Instead, there is a warm atmosphere where new hires __feel part of a unique, motivated and growing family__.

Compared to a normal new hire onboarding process, it's like night and day. 

![Custom company logo stickers on laptop](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/b41a899de3ba5f4e1256a41e196f441d05cdef4b "Custom company logo stickers on laptop")

> Creating an attractive company culture and welcoming new hires to your team doesn't mean you have to offer free massages, unlimited vacation, and an in-office movie theater."

Never one to settle, Boxed is now planning to make the kit even better. They let us in on a secret — in version 2.0, they're planning to add a sweatshirt and a bottle opener.

## To create your own new hire kit, here are 3 pillars from Boxed to follow:

### 1. Start with stickers. 
Easy to order, cost-effective and beautiful, Grace has seen the stickers she gives out to new hires everywhere — on monitors, the back of phone cases, even in wallets to hand out to friends. It's the easiest way to turn any object into company swag. Here’s Grace’s advice: "If you’re on the fence, [try 100 circle roll labels for $49](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels)."

### 2. Don't worry about the details. 
Boxed could have had back-and-forth debates about what the kit should include until their faces turned blue, but they started with a "Minimum Viable Kit" and put stickers, pens, a notebook, and a few other items that they knew would add value. Starting was more important than wasting time trying to get it 100% right the first time.

### 3. Make your new hire kit unique to your company. 
Maybe you don't care about Post-It notes. What can you substitute instead? For example, if you’re a travel company, you can give a new hire a new laptop bag to bring on flights and include [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) to show off the company. Bring out what is unique to your business and brand.

## Start your own new hire kit

As Grace said, "Stickers are a necessity." Sticker Mule makes it fast and easy to get custom stickers like [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) or [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels).

![Custom company logo stickers on iPhone](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/0dfc7a36898c7d913e62a1355fcfd498d185f848 "Custom company logo stickers on iPhone")

Why not [turn your company logo into a sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/logo-stickers) so your employees (new and seasoned) can apply it to their own favorite items like their laptops, phones and water bottles. 

If you're ready to start your own new hire kit and order custom stickers, we want to help. [Get $10 off your first Sticker Mule order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

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Learn how the startup Boxed used custom stickers to create their new hire kit.

How a viral blog uses stickers 

- __About Space Beards:__ Space Beards is a popular Tumblr blog (30,000+ followers) that replaces the hairy beards of celebrities (past and present) with cosmic galaxies created by Joshua Arter.
- __How he uses stickers:__ Space Beards went viral early on. Josh uses galaxy styled mustaches and beards as stickers to continue growing traffic and bringing attention to the popular site.
- __Results:__ Space Beard stickers have driven traffic and awareness for the site as it continues to grow beyond this galaxy.

>It was the perfect storm of internet gold: beards plus space.

At first, Josh Arter's popular Tumblr blog "[Space Beards: The Facial Frontier](http://spacebeards.com/)" was just a joke that Josh shared with friends. Those friends said he should start a blog so Josh set up a Tumblr site.

Within a few months, it was featured on major sites including Mashable and The Daily Dot. Then, it was featured as a trending blog on Tumblr Tuesday's "Blogs you should be following."

He knew he was on to something when his traffic took off through organic shares and went viral, "It was the perfect storm of internet gold: Beards plus space."

![SpaceBeards Stickers for a Viral Blog](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9b77fb9d2e89b8fd39169adb0369c0349b2363e1)

So he took his galactic momentum and set up an online shop with t-shirts, phone cases, and coffee cups.

##Building a constellation
As part of his strategy to keep growing traffic, he printed off stickers with Sticker Mule of the space beards he posted on Tumblr.

When asked about how a digital blog bridges the gap between online and offline worlds, Josh says, "The key is to stay true to yourself. If you have a strong brand, stick to it and keep it consistent across all channels."

Josh wasn't content to just make stickers that were selfishly self promotional. Instead of stickers with a URL or his name, he made the stickers as whimsical as the blog itself. Each design is a die-cut sticker in the exact shape of the beard design. With rich, full color on quality vinyl, the stickers are as original as Josh's blog.

"The Space Beards stickers are essentially the blog logo, but like the characters Space Bearded on the site, each sticker represents a different look at the cosmos, keeping the Space Beards offline brand fresh yet familiar."

"I wanted to give away something others could put up around town to gain organic, local traffic to my site. Friends gave them to their friends, I see them around town and in bars."

> People will walk up when they see the sticker and say 'Hey I love that site!'

When traveling around Milwaukee, the center of his bearded galaxy, Josh (and now many others) has space beard stickers on his car, laptop, and bike helmet. And when he's traveling, he brings a stash of stickers and puts them up around cities in prominent places.

"Space is infinite, the chances of creating a viral blog just the same, discovering a Space Beards sticker wild on the street is just as fun. People will walk up when they see the sticker and say 'Hey I love that site!'"

Others asked to have their own stickers and placed them in famous spots around the U.S including Seattle's infamous Market Theater Gum Wall.

![Eddie-Murphy-SpaceBeards](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eae63e21ea97127ed4f03a8f91f722b173a1b063)

##An Ever-expanding Universe

Josh attributes the stickers to increasing blog traffic, stoking interest, and driving sales of his other products like t-shirts.

"Stickers definitely brought in more traffic. In Milwaukee, some of the stickers are used in hip parts of town… The stickers stand out because of their shape and unusual mix of color."

Josh has found other ways to promote his blog and keep it trimmed and fresh.

>Stickers definitely brought in more traffic.

Last November, Josh partnered with a blog about Milwaukee mustaches (yes, there is a blog for everything) for a Movember event. The theme of the party? Facial hair for a good cause! It was complete with custom shirts. The party was an easy way to promote his blog within his community.

At the event, [mustache stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/mustache-stickers "Custom mustache stickers") were available for attendees to pick up to show their beard love and to continue to boost traffic to the site.

An altruistic artist, Josh has shared his artistic power away through a space beards app for iPhone and iPad.

##Why Sticker Mule?
He originally heard about Sticker Mule through a friend. “All he could talk about was quality” and said that they last forever.

Before Space Beards, Josh used Sticker Mule for another blog "[Thanks for the love MKE](http://thanksforthelovemke.tumblr.com/)" — a website that showcases the city of Milwaukee through photos taken by residents to give a more intimate view of the city.

"I love the city and wanted to show it off. It's underrated and a well kept secret."

The stickers he made for the MKE blog have become a common sight throughout the city.

> The quality, reordering, and turnaround time is the best in the business.

"At one of our meetups, we handed out stickers and ran a campaign for people to take a photo involving their sticker and their favorite Milwaukee spot. It ended up being a broader campaign as people threw them up around the city in general.”

With two popular blogs that use stickers to drive traffic, Josh exclusively uses Sticker Mule because of "the quality, easy reordering, and turnaround time is the best in the business".

<ButtonCta text="Try the best in the business for $1" href="https://www.stickermule.com/samples?ref=blog" />

The viral Tumblr Space Beards shares their experience, advice, and strategy for bridging the online/offline gap with readers. 

15 awesome transfer sticker designs 

Since launching [transfer stickers or vinyl decals](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) we've seen thousands of incredible designs. Transfer stickers are significantly more difficult to create at every stage from proofing to artwork creation to manufacturing. 

The weeding process is extremely intricate and so our teams have worked closely with our customers to produce their designs. And while we've created [videos and guidelines](https://www.stickermule.com/support/how-do-i-design-a-transfer-sticker) to help, Sticker Mule is proud to reproduce and improve on most transfer design artwork for free. We offer unprecedented design freedom and our free proofing process makes ordering a breeze. 

Since soft launching, we’ve already produced transfer sticker designs for hundreds of customers that were turned away from other vendors. 

Here are 15 awesome transfer sticker designs:

### 1. _I'm Local_ by Corey Sweeter



![Im Local Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2110006d8a5c0da0c1b8e3221b6d0b91f4751afc)



### 2. _Intricately_ by JoAnn Barron



![Intricately Transfer Vinyl Decal Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/affd9f7321857bbcfc744cf55060e08603e60012)




### 3. _Impact Ink_ by Giv Parvaneh



![MtVernonTX ImpactINK-Transfer Decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d57f6f7c762af4f6a4a82a49481367af7af109cf)



### 4. _Cody Mack Putters_ by Keith Cansler



![Cody Mack Putters Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/4a8b3a303f52cda4d6040cbd19f7d89c95b0981c)




### 5. _Focus on the Beer_ by Ryan Hannigan



![Focus on the Beer Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e77ddb5c1dd0c537dc8e6f52a37505c9b5f448a0)




### 6. _Vox_ by Kim Steins



![Vox Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6c6479e31b8744009645381303fd1e559967f15f) 




### 7. _Dove_ by Julia Sprow



![Dove Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5bae7210c9efe9b9a9b86daa22606d44e1ee3075) 




### 8. _Honestly Co_ by David Horne



![Intricate vinyl decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a634e2a03a3c004081503b9b6557cf18103ea5ea) 




### 9. _Threatwave_ by Karen Sears



![ThreatWave Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e3bfe250ab5506d6df6e1e21063ca0ea43709452)




### 10. _Sasquatch_ by Haden Farrell



![Sasquatch Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/007e73875d47a6cb066fc80a7cd9f1c2f992338f)




### 11. _Tigger Welding_ by Tyler 



![Welding Transfer sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dec2125160b7785b6eb5091f419e969712fbd4a4)




### 12. _TriLion Studios_ by Brian White



![Tri Lion-Intricate-Decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/493e6c760524178ea1fedae68b97de2b84ad74f8)




### 13. _Smile_ by Traveling Chris



![Traveling Chris Transfer Design Vinyl](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ed74361382c621c3f5a279ec8d1ca67891a2949b)




### 14. _I/L_ by Greg Dundas



![IntricateVinylDecalTransferSticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ce4ab889c3b4a7063ea379914300cda97a1ff4f8)




### 15. _TrainEat_ by Mario



![TrainEat Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5da4c5a98d1bb7beabfaf36351cc6db6d2db9e75)

If you want to try your hand at creating [custom transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers), why not start today with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Transfer stickers can be tricky to design. Check out these 15 incredible transfer sticker designs. 

How Wordnik used stickers for Kickstarter rewards 

- __About Wordnik__: Wordnik is the world's biggest online English dictionary, by number of words. 
- __How they use stickers__: As a nonprofit, Wordnik is always looking for innovative ways to drive donations and engagement like their Adopt-a-Word program. Most recently, Wordnik has used stickers in different support levels in their Kickstarter campaign.
- __Results__: Wordnik has seen hundreds of words adopted and they raised over $50,000 in their successful Kickstarter campaign to add a million missing words to the dictionary.

> Stickers are a perfect reward for any Kickstarter campaign. 

When Erin McKean stepped off of the TED stage in March 2007, she had done the seemingly impossible: [make the job of a lexicographer sound actually exciting](https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary).

She gave a vision to the English language that goes beyond the confines of paper and online dictionaries. The way paper and digital interact has to be different than how we think of it now.

That was the start of Wordnik, the world's biggest online English dictionary.

As a lexicographer (for those unwilling to look it up, a lexicographer is a person who compiles dictionaries), Erin worked for years on the New Oxford American Dictionary (which is the dictionary used by Mac OS X and Kindle.) Although dictionaries may seem dull and dry, they are living databases that are the output of thousands of individual decisions, including the actual words being used (and allowed), what goes into updating it, and the format it's published in.

## Making words more lookupable

The problem? The English language is composed of millions and millions of words (and possible words)! Far too many to fit into a paper dictionary. And further to complicate matters, words are being added and created in English faster than dictionaries can be updated. With a few colleagues, Erin formed Wordnik with the goal of making every word in the English language "lookupable" – including the 52% of unique English words that aren't currently in any dictionary.

The philosophy of Wordnik is simple: people learn words best by example and so any word used in a sentence, even in casual use, gets a page. If a word is looked up that doesn’t have any information, not even a sentence, the word still gets a page that is updated as more information becomes available—including the number of times the word has been looked up! "If you’re curious about a word, some information is always better than no information," says Erin. This way people can find out information about a word even before a traditional definition has been written.

> If you’re curious about a word, some information is always better than no information.

One of the hidden gems of Wordnik is its lists feature. It has more than 40,000 lists (see [words that make us hungry](https://www.wordnik.com/lists/words-to-describe-the-taste-of-food) or [crayon colors](https://www.wordnik.com/lists/crayola-old-style)), some hundreds of words long. And while Wordnik is a brilliant place to inspire a writer, the team had an equally smart idea when they launched a Kickstarter campaign.


## Finding one million missing words 
Erin and her team started a [Kickstarter campaign](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1574790974/lets-add-a-million-missing-words-to-the-dictionary/description) to achieve their goal of: __Finding a million words that haven't been included in major English dictionaries and give them each a home on the Internet.__

With a goal of raising $50,000, the Wordnik project set out to [create reward levels for an online living dictionar)](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1574790974/lets-add-a-million-missing-words-to-the-dictionary/description)--something that you can't exactly hold in your hand! Without a physical product, it can be difficult to come up with meaningful rewards for crowdfunding campaigns. 

The Wordnik team came up with brilliant rewards that fit perfectly with their target audience, project positioning, and let their backers participate in the creation! 

![Wordnik custom stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/35d4cd1d1c383198df22a159c84615ee27eb6001)

## Your reward: an excuse to talk about words 

Wordnik found a way to literally put words into their backers’ hands using stickers from Sticker Mule. For backers pledging $10 or more, Wordnik offered a complete set of stickers, including a sticker for the Semicolon Appreciation Society (literature lovers unite!).

At the next level, backers pledging $25 or more could “Adopt A Word”. These backers got the set of stickers, plus a special word adoption sticker with space to add a word of their choice.

> Stickers are a perfect reward for any Kickstarter campaign.

They're a simple, low-cost way to deliver something physical. Stickers can serve as delightful marketing tool that doesn’t feel like marketing. Backers can get involved quickly at any level. With the right design, your stickers will be placed on laptops, notebooks, and other spots that are seen every day.

![Smart kickstarter reward ideas like stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6b61c1ca6ee9db435af3cede1fd00ce0bc205944)

## More sticky reward ideas
Every project is different and coming up with ways to use stickers for your own campaign might be tough. Here are a few ideas to inspire your own:

__Reward level stickers:__ Reward your smallest and biggest backers with a sticker that shows your logo and their level of support. It creates a sense of community and encourages larger pledges.

__Themed pack of stickers:__ Get more creative than a logo with a set of designs themed to go along with your product.

> People want something they can hold in their hands. Stickers give people an excuse to talk about their love for words and Wordnik.

With the help of 726 backers, Wordnik successfully raised $58,407 (nearly $10,000 more than their goal). The team continues to add thousands of words each day and has made stickers a staple of their promotion strategy to "get the word out". 

> Stickers are an inexpensive and fun way to make people feel good about what you do. I don’t think any of us ever get over our little kid love of stickers.

Today, Wordnik uses five different stickers to promote their efforts, reward backers, and to raise additional donations with the Adopt-A-Word program. Backers and donors proudly display their "I Love Words" stickers at home and on their cars. 

For more creative ideas for using custom stickers, buttons, magnets and more, [check out our gallery of uses](https://www.stickermule.com/uses).

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

Wordnik raised more than $50,000 on Kickstarter. Now they're using stickers to add more than a million missing words to the dictionary. 

How to make company culture stick 

- __About Unified:__ [Unified](http://www.unified.com/) delivers technology and services to connect marketing data sets and optimize investments across the customer journey.  Unified’s software empowers Fortune 500 companies and agencies to drive marketing success in the context of their business goals.  The Unified Platform transforms fragmented marketing data into actionable intelligence and real-time activation. 	 
- __How they use stickers:__ Stickers serve as a cultural element to represent teams, new product releases, and track training progress for new hires. 
- __Results:__ Unified has been named a "Best Place to Work" by AdAge, NYC Business, and others.

> We use Sticker Mule stickers for many different things, and all of them bring a unique aspect of fun to the culture here.

How do you create and continually develop a great company culture? That’s what Jesse Channon found himself asking when he joined Unified. As the SVP of Revenue at Unified, Jesse uses a simple, yet surprising way to bring teams together, recognize great work, and onboard new employees: [custom stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers).

He ditched the stale, conventional methods that other companies use (think trust falls and awkward team building exercises) for a creative method to drive achievement and camaraderie. 

Jesse’s idea to use stickers first came from the many [different versions of the Github Octocat](https://octodex.github.com/).

## Stickers as culture

At [Unified](http://www.unified.com/), stickers are used as a cultural element.

"We use Sticker Mule stickers for many different things, and all of them bring a unique aspect of fun to the culture here. It's a fun internal game."

The company collects and connects fragmented marketing data in actionable insights for Fortune 500 companies. It has grown quickly and serves hundreds of customers. Most recently, they secured $30 million dollars in Series B funding.

That success has meant a growing number of employees. 140 people on various teams are spread across the U.S. in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Growing companies and startups often fight over top talent by offering benefits that "one up" the competition (think yoga, free massages, and pet friendly offices). And while Unified offers a range of competitive benefits, it has found that small ideas, like this one, can create a culture that sticks.

Team members place [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) on their laptops, monitors, bags, and coffee mugs to show them off.

> All in all, StickerMule has helped Unified to have some of the best laptop art in the industry.

Jesse and the Executive Team share the five key ways stickers are making a company culture that sticks:

### 1. Team Representation
Many of the teams have designed their own stickers to signify and represent who they are. Some designs are mascots, "totem" animals, and completely random creations. Although the team stickers have clear representation (the sales team's custom sticker is distinct from the account management team's), designers hide easter egg messages and secret meanings known only to their fellow team members.

### 2. Product Releases
Towards the end of a project, Project Managers will design a sticker that best defines the new feature or product and the benefits it delivers to the customer. Many times the initials of team members, or other personal touches are hidden within the stickers. These product releases serve as a way to recognize the work of individuals and teams.

### 3. Training Qualifications
As stickers have filled the laptops of seasoned staff, new hires will soon get their own. A new series of training stickers will show qualifications and accomplishments in several different areas. In particular, these will signify expertise in certain products and areas for the sales and account management teams.

### 4. Office Locations
With four offices, Unified has team members spread out across different cities. It's common for sticker swaps to take place when one team visits another. This can create perspective and encourage conversations about other team members around the world.

Jesse shares, "I'm often traveling back and forth between Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. It’s amazing to see how stickers have spread from one location to another."

### 5. Conferences & Hackathons
Jesse has also seen stickers designed for specific conferences and hackathons (a multi-day event when teams meet to engage, collaborate, and develop). The design may represent the theme of the event, location, and date. 

"It's created a fun environment that makes others ask, 'What is it that they have?'"

> It’s ingrained as part of the culture here, something we’ll continue doing into the future.

## Building a sticky culture
Jesse is proud of starting the sticker craze here. He’s often asked by new hires if he is "the guy with the stickers". Lately, he’s been repurposing Banksy art (he’s a huge Banksy fan) and customizing them to a team.

The stickers have served an external purpose as well. The stickers often are an easy conversation starter. Customers and clients will ask about them in meetings. And sometimes, clients will ask for a sticker of the more original designs.

"It’s ingrained as part of the culture here, something we’ll continue doing into the future."

If you think stickers could help build _your_ company culture, why not start today with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

At Unified, custom stickers serve as a cultural element to represent teams, new product releases, and track training progress for new hires. 

Brewing interest in Radio Roasters' specialty roasts 

- __About Radio Roasters:__ [Radio Roasters](http://www.radioroasters.com/) is a small batch roastery in Georgia that provides single origin coffees through online sales, stores, and subscription delivery.  
- __How they use stickers:__  In shipments and in stores, Radio Roasters' "brew method" stickers do the job of educating future customers, marketing the business, and letting coffee lovers share their passion.
- __Results:__ The stickers have begun a small and effective word-of-mouth campaign about Radio Roasters.

> I wanted to involve the community and educate people how coffee is made, sourced, and brewed."

Every day, we receive hundreds of new sticker designs for printing. Most of them are artistic or clever. But there are a few that really catch our eye because they blend design with brand marketing.

A set of stickers from Radio Roasters is one of the few that really stand out. Designed by TNKR Design, Radio Roasters' stickers show various brew methods for coffee. Subtly printed on the stickers is the website address and after a quick look we had to learn more about the small batch roastery based in Atlanta.

![Coffee Brew Method Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/fbeae8473f4b5d7f67ee96ab30241cd323401579)

The man behind Radio Roasters is Chip Grabow. An NPR producer for 15 years, Chip moved to Atlanta to work at CNN. Although he edits scripts at CNN by night, during the day he’s busy roasting specialty grade coffee and building a business.

In 2011, when Chip moved from the West Coast to Atlanta, he was surprised by the small number of specialty coffee shops and roasters. He decided to combine a passion (love for coffee) with a dream (running his own business) to launch Radio Roasters. He had a jump start with the help of some friends who roast in other parts of the country.

## Brewing involvement and education

All new businesses face the difficult decision of branding and marketing. Chip quickly found one answer, "We have a great designer who did our branding and created our brew method stickers."

But marketing wasn't as easy. 

> Great coffee is different.

The answer came from the mission to involve and educate. Carefully sourced beans and small batch roasts are just the start. His goal to educate consumers also includes showing people how to make and enjoy a single cup of coffee.

"From the beginning, I wanted to involve the community and educate people how coffee is grown, sourced, and brewed."

That started with a single page and a few images describing techniques to brew a great cup of coffee with different [brewing methods](http://radioroasters.com/brewing-tips). While making the page, his designer made unique circle designs featuring the method: Clever Drip, cone drip, Chemex, and Aeropress.

Each method features a short paragraph about the method's history and specific steps. The result is unique, "Great coffee is different."

Soon after, the brew method stickers were made.

> Stickers were an obvious way to help. People always love stickers.

![Radio Roasteries Georgia](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e13b66f450931079ae412f121222f68005c78d3a)

## Broadcasting the goods

A consistent design and unique colors make the set stand out. At local stores like [Sq/Ft Decatur](http://www.sqftdecatur.com/), where Chip's roasts are sold, he places a few stickers next to the bags. The color and design draws attention and, he hopes, subtly begins the education process. Chip adds, "Good design is helpful."

But it also creates a sudden interest in making (and drinking) coffee in new ways.

Casual coffee drinkers often only know one or two methods of brewing coffee, such as a standard drip coffee maker. These stickers show four lesser-known methods that improve the richness and taste, which open the door for "the switch" to take place.

The Switch has been described as "when a particular mix of events and emotional energy exists, a customer will choose a different product to use." 

Although small and simple, the stickers are, in part, accomplishing that job — giving a casual, novice, or even "pro" coffee drinker an opportunity to choose Radio Roasters' coffee over their old favorite.

Add to that the fact that stickers are easy to hold and use just about anywhere.

Chip explains, "People love stickers as a kid. You love collecting them and holding on to them."

## Tuning in for more

The bulk of his business is built around a subscription service to encourage customers to buy and have on hand only the freshest beans and to consistently try new varieties. Customers can pick from different coffee origins and bag sizes.

Coffee changes by the season and so each quarter, Radio Roasters features a different origin or variety. When customers buy through his subscription service, they get stickers thrown into each shipment.

> Cool brands are always the ones who give you cool, free stickers."

As the subscription business has grown, the stickers have had a growing impact. A customer might place a sticker on a notebook they bring to work or they'll place it on a coffee mug they bring to a meeting.

"We’ve had people ask our customers, 'How do I get these stickers?' We always tell them to say, 'You have to order Radio Roasters Coffee'. Recently someone saw a Radio Roasters sticker on a colleague’s laptop and asked about it. So they gave them an extra shot because they knew he liked coffee."

As the subscription business grows online, Chip is looking to expand to other stores in and around Atlanta. Stickers have been a pragmatic, economical way to naturally pull people towards Radio Roasters.

"Although we’re just starting, the stickers have definitely increased interest. We’ve had a great response on Instagram. People comment and ask where they can get them. We tell them 'you have to order!'"

"They respond, 'I know where I'm ordering next time!'"

If *you* want to try ordering with Sticker Mule, get started with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701" />

Radio Roaster's "brew method" stickers educate future customers, market the business, and let coffee lovers share their passion. 

Growing beards and a brand with Texas Beard Co. 

- __About Texas Beard Co.:__ Started in February 2014, Texas Beard Company makes high quality, all natural, man-made beard products.
- __How they use stickers:__ With just two types of stickers, they have been able to label their entire product line including beard oil, balm, and wax products. Promotional logo stickers have also been a great tool to spread brand awareness. 
- __Results:__ What started as an experiment is now a busy company adding new products and fulfilling hundreds of orders a day for their happy and bearded customers. 

> I saw an opportunity, did my research, and started creating what became our first two products."

Great entrepreneurs look for opportunity and try to get ahead of the next big thing. And yet, at times, the best ideas are staring you right in the face...or, in this case, on your face. That's how Ryan Olson, a bearded software developer, started and founded Texas Beard Company.

![Texas Beard Co Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/82e4ca79ccb9972fbc38cb2f547dd744ab083809)

"I saw an opportunity, did my research, and started creating what became our first two products."

Together, owners Ryan, Aaron, Adam, and Shayne (all coworkers and friends) formed Texas Beard Company. Since then, handmade beard care products have become a full-fledged business with thousands of happy customers. As happy Sticker Mule users, we chatted with Ryan about the experience and the company. Here are the lessons he has to share:

Here are his three lessons:

1. Shape your business out of your own needs and expertise 
2. Launch fast and make it yourself
3. Delight & Surprise for Brand Awareness

## Shape your business out of your own needs and expertise 

Except Adam (the "token beardless guy" on the team), Ryan, Aaron and Shayne are their own best customers. They researched different ingredients and their benefits. Next, they tested the formulas on themselves and made changes to what became beard oil and beard balm.

They created the product and formula that Ryan had been looking for on Day 1. Next, they reached out to friends and other coworkers to get their feedback. They gathered comments and feedback on the products' scent and use, and then launched the product line officially.

> It was a bit of an experiment to see if we could move product.

As software developers, Ryan and the guys work by day at an e-commerce software company developing tools and resources that allow other small businesses to launch stores. That experience gave them a huge jumpstart out of the gate and helped them build the store overnight.

"It was a bit of an experiment to see if we could move product. We had the experience building online stores but not running one."

![NightCapBalm](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/db2806de2f55130f078553d94be99d4fe278bd92)

## Launch fast and make it yourself

It can be tempting for new, small businesses to get stuck on the "startup checklist" and delay building the actual business. It’s easy to spend too many hours building a website, creating a logo, branding, finding the best suppliers, and best prices. All are important, but they can drain a business of its momentum if done slowly. Texas Beard Company is a great example of why it’s important to work out of your expertise so that you can move fast and start selling.

Aaron, the artistic one of the bunch, designed a logo that perfectly captured the brand, its products, and its target customers. Next, the team ordered glass droppers and tins. To bring the branding and the product together, they used Sticker Mule to create custom [beard oil stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/beard-oil-stickers "Custom beard oil stickers") to label their beard care products.

Ordering custom stickers and using them as labels gave them the ability to order as needed at the start. From the beginning, the logo and stickers have become a prominent part of the entire production process.
All of the products use the same sticker for labeling. This single use has made it easy to keep branding consistent. Best of all, it has allowed them to save thousands by placing bulk orders for a single design and making reorders quickly.

> It was a creative solution for packaging. We used one sticker for all four uses."

Texas Beard Company has taken "do it yourself" to the extreme. All of the products are handmade by family members out of a home garage and has completely overtaken two rooms of the house. Although it started as a weekend project, making the oils and balms is now a full time job for two people.

At the start, Ryan recalls visiting Farmer's Markets to generate sales and awareness before online sales took over. "It was time consuming, but it was important. Customers were able to smell the scents and try it out. It's a lot easier online though to make sales."

## Delight & surprise for brand awareness

With nearly all sales coming through the online store, Texas Beard Company has found a way to still engage with customers and spread the brand without the in-person connection at a Farmer's Market. "We put promotional logo stickers in with every order. It's a nice surprise for customers when they open up the box."

> Stickers are a nice surprise for customers when they open up the box."

The stickers have helped with brand awareness too. While many customers will naturally tell their friends, some will need your help through stickers, referral credits, or other creative ways. If your product meets a need and creates happy customers — like Texas Beard Company — it's important to make it as easy as possible for them to share their experience. "People put the logo on their [cars](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers), [coffee mugs](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers), [hard hats](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/hard-hat-stickers), or [laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers)." The business has expanded beyond Texas and sells in every state and more than 26 countries.

![Beard Oil Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e31f92a0425326592137ccedb0b3f72eb5d1d701)

## What's next 

In the past year, the team has created new scents (including a seasonal scent), added mustache wax and other grooming products. As Texas Beard Company grows, so does its customer’s love for the brand. The team is now making t-shirts, trucker hats, and more. While the business continues to grow naturally, Ryan, Adam, Aaron, and Shayne plan to delight customers in new ways and with new products.

There are countless ways to delight _your_ customers and grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

Texas Beard Company uses custom stickers to label their entire product line including beard oil, balm, and wax products. 

Posts by Tyler Vawser